Crocodile attacked my sister and dragged her down

The British twin who saved her sister from a crocodile has recounted the horrible moment when the beast attacked her, dragged her underwater and bit her three times.

28-year-old Melissa Laurie has woken up from a medically induced coma after her twin Georgia saved her and struck the predator in the face.

“It was fight or flight,” Georgia said. “And you have to fight for the people you love.”

The Berkshire-born siblings had taken a boat tour of Mexico’s Manialtepec Lagoon with friends when zoo keeper Melissa was dragged underwater by the crocodile and thrown “like a rag doll.”

A tour guide recommended by their hostel had taken them to the place of natural beauty, who was already locally suspected of organizing illegal tours.

“In fact, I told the guide, ‘This looks like a place where crocodiles make their home,’” Georgia told the BBC, although he insisted that it was safe to swim.

The tour guide, who disappeared in the aftermath of the incident, is believed to be a German national with no affiliation with the local tourism authority.

The group was enjoying a dip in the early afternoon when Melissa was suddenly swept under the water.

“It was scary,” Georgia recalls.

The brave British woman sprang into action, repeatedly hitting the crocodile on the nose to save her sister, before swimming back to the tour boat.

As he dragged his twin to safety, the crocodile attacked again and attacked both women.

A friend on the excursion with the group, Ani, ran into the mangroves for help, cries that were answered by another nearby tour boat.

Lalo Escamilla, the local boatman and ornithologist who rushed to help the twins, explained: “I pushed through the undergrowth with my paddle.”

The experienced boatman attacked the fraudulent tour guides who steal the custom from local experts with the promise of cheap trips.

“They are not guides,” Lalo said.

“They are not federally approved experts, they do not know this place. That is the problem.”

Local authorities have said that the grassy area on the river is a well-known crocodile nesting spot.

Melissa suffered life-threatening injuries after being bitten on her stomach and legs, which later became infected and led to sepsis.

The twins’ older sister, Hana Laurie, 33, had previously told BBC Breakfast that she also had “a lot of water, grass and things in her lungs,” and was placed in a medically induced coma.

But Melissa has now woken up and is “very well,” Georgia told Radio 1 Newsbeat in a WhatsApp voice memo.

He added that this morning they removed the inserted tubes to help his twin breathe.

“She has been breathing on her own very well.

“He can’t speak because his tube hurts, but he can hear.”

Georgia had previously been discharged from hospital, after being treated for her hand injuries.

Meanwhile, her mother Sue Laurie, 63, said it was Georgia and Melissa’s unbreakable bond that saved their lives.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Ms Laurie said: “They have always been there for each other.

“Girls can fight like cats and dogs, but there is no closer relationship than twins. They will do anything for each other.

“And what happened in Mexico proves it. If Georgia hadn’t been there, who knows what would have happened.”